The Rothman Disintegration
"The Rothman Disintegration" is the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of the The Big Bang Theory. The episode first aired on February 16, 2012. Summary Sheldon and his rival Kripke fight it out over an available new office. Penny gets a gift from Amy that really tests their friendship. Extended plot The of Professor Rothman opens up an office that both Sheldon and Kripke want to move into. The university president makes them settle it between themselves. After they can not agree on a competitive card, board or video game, the gang ends up in a and try ing. Unfortunately, both Sheldon and Kripke are both equally bad at sports and neither of them win until they have a bouncing contest which Sheldon wins. Typically, Sheldon is thrilled with his latest acquisition until, back in his new office, the is too cold because the professor in the neighboring office is having es, the upstairs department is too noisy, and a bird outside is whistling "completely out-of-tune" with the s. Finally, his curiosity gets the better of him and he gets his head stuck in a hole in the wall, which Leonard photographs with is cell phone before he goes for help. Meanwhile, Penny receives a gift from Amy of a very large of the two of them that is not very flattering and very ugly. Amy suggests hanging it above the bookcase near the apartment door. After Amy leaves, Penny takes down the painting, but Amy comes back right away and finds out that Penny took the painting down. Crushed, Amy takes the painting back. Then Penny rushes over to Amy's apartment to save their friendship and takes the painting back after claiming that Bernadette was jealous over it. Now it hangs on the virtual wall of her apartment and is no longer seen by the studio audience except one time through Penny's front door. Critics "This was a highly skippable episode. The writers chose some very cheap and easy ideas and compounded their lameness by changing their minds during the story... We seem to be in a mid-season lull where the writers ran out of ideas and so reached into the old sit com bag of bad ideas."The TV Critic's Review The TV Critic's Review Quotes Sheldon: (walks into the university restroom, referring to a ) Kripke! '' '''Kripke:' Yes? Sheldon: You're in my spot. ---- Bernadette: (looking at the painting) Look at that face! That enormous, unsettling, CRAZY face! Penny: Is there any chance that I'll learn to love it? Bernadette: That depends. Do you like pictures of yourself where you look like a man? ---- Sheldon: And let him win? Do I look crazy to you? ---- Leonard: Alright, this is one-on-one. First person to five wins. Any questions? (Sheldon raises his hand) Yes, Sheldon? Sheldon: Five what? ---- Sheldon: Use the Force, Sheldon! (throws the basketball, but it does not even reach the height of the hoop) I may need more Force! ---- Sheldon: I see no other option but to challenge you to a . I'd smack you with a glove, but just last week, I packed away my winter things. ---- Raj: I'm glad that men are wearing hats again. They're so distinguished. ---- Amy: Before I met you, I was a . But look at me now. I'm like some kind of downtown party girl! With a , a boyfriend, and a new lace bra that hooks in the front of all things! ---- Bernadette: (to Penny) Too bad you're not as strong as the dude in the painting. ---- Raj: Would you look at this? I pay $25 to some kid on for a handcrafted . He sent me a . He went into his backyard and picked up a stick. Howard: It's numbered. Raj: Ooh, --nice! ---- Sheldon: We're gonna work this office situation out like gentleman. And if that doesn't work, I'm gonna poison his tea. Notes * Title Reference: The title refers to the collapse of Professor Rothman's . * Chuck Lorre's vanity cardhttp://www.chucklorre.com/index-bbt.php?p=378 * This episode was watched by 15.65 million people with a rating of 5.1 (adults 18-49). Trivia * When Sheldon first moves into his new office, Professor Rothman is present behind the door reading an issue of the Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics. * The Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock game appears again, which is a game that was last seen in season 2 in "The Lizard-Spock Expansion", and mentioned by Howard in the late second season episode "The Hofstadter Isotope". During the explanation of the game, Kripke temporarily drops his . * The contest scene is similar to the wrestling scene in "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis", and takes place in the same gymnasium. * Sheldon even has a spot in the university men's restroom: the right hand urinal. * This is the first time has been mentioned in the show. It is odd that it hasn't been mentioned previously, given that co-creator Bill Prady used to work on the show. * Sheldon was sad to know that Kripke didn't view him as a friend, which clashes with what happened in season 2's "The Friendship Algorithm", where he acknowledged Kripke couldn't be his friend, as he has no more spots left. * At the end of the episode, Penny hangs an empty picture frame facing the camera. Even though Penny chose to hang the picture in her apartment, and will always see it, it was hung on the of her apartment set, where it won't be seen by the audience except in certain circumstances (such as the scene in "The Countdown Reflection" where the painting is visible over Amy's shoulder as she talks to Howard through Penny's partially open apartment door). * Professor Rothman may have retired, but he is still hanging around the university without clothes. * Song: "We Go Together" from the movie . Goofs * As Amy asked to borrow Penny's "Grease" DVD, Penny only gave Amy the case, because they never took the disc out of the DVD player. Gallery The rothman disintegration Howard and Raj as spectators.jpg|Howard and Raj are the spectators at Sheldon and Kripke's match. The rothman disintegration Leonard the referee.jpg|Leonard helps the guys settle their dispute over basketball. The rothman disintegration Leonard explains the rules.jpg|Leonard explains the rules of the match. The rothman disintegration Sheldon has a question.jpg|Sheldon has a question regarding the match. The rothman disintegration Sheldon and Kripke avoid the ball.jpg|Sheldon and Kripke both avoid the ball thrown at them. The rothman disintegration Sheldon and Kripke in action.jpg|Sheldon and Kripke in action. The rothman disintegration Sheldon vs Kripke.jpg|Sheldon and Kripke go against each other in a fight for a new office. The rothman disintegration Sheldon prepares to shoot.jpg|Sheldon prepares to shoot. The rothman disintegration Sheldon uses the force.jpg|Sheldon uses the Force to shoot, to no avail. The rothman disintegration Sheldon and Kripke as athletes.jpg|Sheldon and Kripke in a basketball match. S5Ep17 - Amy and Penny with the painting.jpg|Amy and Penny with the painting of them. S5Ep17 - Amy with the hanging painting.jpg|Amy standing beside the painting, as it hangs on the wall. S5Ep17 - Penny and Bernadette look at the picture.jpg|Penny and Bernadette look at the painting. S5EP17 - Sheldon signing the Spock symbol.jpg|Sheldon explains "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock" to Kripke. S5EP17 - Siebert speaks to the guys.jpg|Siebert addresses Kripke and Sheldon in the bathroom. Professor Rothman.png|Professor Rothman. The guys enter the office.png|The guys enter Professor Rothman's office. Kripke is also in the office.png|Kripke is also in the professor's office. Amy enters with painting.png|Amy enters with Penny's gift. Amy thanks Penny.png|Amy goes on about all the things Penny has done for her. The painting.png|Amy's gift to Penny: a painting of the two. Penny's reaction to the painting.png|Penny's reaction to the painting. Sheldon and Kripke disturb Siebert.png|Sheldon and Kripke disturb President Siebert in the bathroom. Penny and Bernadette look at the painting.png|Bernadette and Penny stare at the painting. Raj is upset over the fake wand.png|Raj is upset over the item he ordered from Ebay that turned out being fake. Sheldon laughs.png|Sheldon laughs at what Kripke said. Amy and the painting of her.png|Amy and the painting version of her. Sheldon struggles with the ventilator.png|Sheldon struggles with the ventilator. Amy tells Penny about the painting.png|Amy tells Penny about how they would have been painted naked in the painting. Penny's apartment.png|The girls are watching Grease on the TV. Sheldon's head is stuck in the wall.png|Leonard watches on as Sheldon is stuck with his head in the wall. Sheldon stuck in the wall.png|Sheldon's head is stuck in the wall. References * Press release from spoilertv.com Category:Articles With Videos Category:Season 5 Category:Leonard-Penny Together Category:Kripke